An improved method to measure the rate of vaporisation and thermal decomposition of high boiling organic and ionic liquids by thermogravimetrical analysis.

The vapour pressure and the thermal stability of liquids are important material properties. For high boiling organic and ionic liquids (ILs), the determination of these properties is laborious and it is not easy to discriminate between evaporation and thermal decomposition. In this work, a simple but accurate method is presented to determine the parameters of decomposition and evaporation by thermogravimetrical analysis (TGA). The mass transfer coefficient was calculated based on a new correlation for the Sherwood number for cylindrical crucibles in overflow of a carrier gas. This correlation is valid for any diameter-to-height ratio and for any filling degree of the crucible and was derived from numerical simulations and proven by experiments with hexadecane, dodecane, and anthracene. The TGA analysis of two ILs was conducted. [EMIM][EtSO(4)] decomposes at ambient pressure without a measurable contribution of evaporation. To the contrary, [BMIM][NTf(2)] is relatively volatile. The vapour pressure of [BMIM][NTf(2)] and the kinetics of decomposition of both ILs were determined.